The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 23: Hitting Two Birds with One Stone

Princess An He was drinking tea while observing Xie Yunzhen’s expression.

He lowered his eyes, showing no emotion, making it hard to understand his thoughts.

"Why aren’t you speaking? Weren’t you just trying to shut me up with your many words?"

Xie Yunzhen smirked, "What does her getting married have to do with me? If I talk too much, wouldn’t it just be inviting resentment for no reason?"

Imagining Ji Mingzhu acting out and being petulant, the coldness in Xie Yunzhen’s eyes deepened.

When marrying a wife, one chooses someone virtuous and gentle. If people knew her "real face," would anyone still want to discuss marriage with her?

Probably not...

Xie Yunzhen felt a burning in his heart with no outlet for release.

In the end, he attributed it to Ji Mingzhu not giving him a good face, and by reciprocating, he didn’t want Ji Mingzhu to have a good life either.

It’s best if she never gets married!

To stay in the Duke Mansion for life!

This thought consumed his mind, growing fiercer like a wild storm sweeping in.

Xie Yunzhen suddenly snapped out of it.

He wasn’t even deeply acquainted with Ji Mingzhu, yet he was influenced by her to such an extent.

This wasn’t like him at all.

A vague sense of panic spread from his heart, and for the first time, Xie Yunzhen felt an urge to escape.

He must not see Ji Mingzhu again.

He must not hear about her anymore.

This was dangerous!

In just a few breaths, a great storm had stirred in Xie Yunzhen’s heart.

Princess An He did not notice, continuing, "Indeed, it has nothing to do with you, so keep your distance from her, avoid rumors that might affect her marriage prospects."

"Mm."

"In fact, the old madam considered making her a concubine for Brother Xuan, but she failed to handle it properly, causing Brother Xuan to lose his reasoning for her."

"Truly making her a concubine, wouldn’t the second household end up in an ugly situation of favoring the concubine over the wife?"

"Besides, I doubt your second aunt would agree to have Ji Mingzhu as a concubine, so it’s better if she gets married. If she knows her place, she can still visit as a relative of the Duke Mansion in the future."

Xie Yunzhen remained expressionless, as he usually did.

The initial silence and surprise seemed to be just Princess An He’s illusion.

Now that Ji Mingzhu had started discussing marriage and her son didn’t seem to have feelings for her, Princess An He didn’t want to focus on Ji Mingzhu anymore.

The most important thing was still Du Peilan.

A widow, who hadn’t been without her husband for a year, sitting with an unmarried man drinking tea.

Truly shameless!

Anyone with a sense of propriety would avoid unrelated men at all costs.

It’s obvious that Du Peilan is targeting Ah Zhen.

Having finally gotten the chance to meet, isn’t she bound to seize the opportunity to work on Ah Zhen?

Princess An He pressed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Du Peilan’s situation was special; she couldn’t just be sent away casually.

Moreover, with Ah Zhen protecting her, using harsh methods might alienate mother and son.

This was really tricky!

Mother and son each sank into their own thoughts, and no one spoke for a while.

After sitting for half a cup of tea’s time, Xie Yunzhen stood up, "Take care and rest. I have things to attend to."

Princess An He also wanted to contemplate how to resolve the matter of Du Peilan.

Waving her hand, "Go on."

Xie Yunzhen was just at the door when his mother called him back.

"Remember, do not associate with Du Peilan anymore. She is now Lady Zheng, and even if the Imperial Scholar is gone, her status won’t change."

Xie Yunzhen only felt it was ridiculous and left without turning back.

In Princess An He’s eyes, it seemed like her son was once again going against her wishes because of Du Peilan.

It infuriated her to the point where she slammed the tea cup on the table, spilling tea.

The close servant, Mrs. Li, fawned, "If Young Master truly likes her, we might as well bring her in as a concubine."

"Foolish!"

Princess An He snorted coldly, "Though she is a widow, behind her are the Du and Zheng families. Making her a concubine would insult them."

But making Du Peilan the main wife was out of the question.

After much thought, the best solution was for Ah Zhen to marry a wife.

"Send an invitation to Mrs. Du, inviting her and Miss Du over as guests."

Du Peifang was already on Princess An He’s list for choosing her daughter-in-law.

Now it seemed there was no one more suitable.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Firstly, it resolves Ah Zhen’s marriage issue.

Secondly, Mrs. Du is Du Peilan’s stepmother, so "disciplining" her would be reasonable.

This was killing two birds with one stone.

With shared goals and interests, that’s the essence of an alliance by marriage!

...

Xie Yunzhen didn’t want to be influenced by Ji Mingzhu anymore and, not waiting for his wound to heal, volunteered to leave the capital on an assignment.

With him not in the mansion, Ji Mingzhu couldn’t be happier.

After living in the Duke Mansion for three years, all her misfortunes were brought upon by Xie Yunzhen.

Keeping her distance from him was true peace and safety,

Initially planning to keep to herself in Xiao Xiang Courtyard, after nearly a month, she resumed her morning and evening routine obligations.

Perhaps due to marriage discussions starting or perhaps because the eligible bachelors were not in the mansion.

Now she was once again invisible in the Duke Mansion.

Ji Mingzhu enjoyed her freedom, and the closer it got to New Year, the better her mood became.

Mrs. Guan teased that she was eager to get married.

"Your second brother is really something. Even if he’s debating academics with teachers and peers, he shouldn’t be away for so long. I still want to tell him about the Yuan Family so he has a clear understanding."

Ji Mingzhu replied, "Second Brother is diligent in his studies, which is good. You can tell me about the Yuan Family, and when the time comes, I won’t make mistakes."

Mrs. Guan chided, "It’s not the place of a young lady to discuss marriage matters."

"Let your second brother handle everything. You just need to watch the actions of the Yuan Family’s young man. If you find him satisfactory, write a letter to your aunt, and she will handle the rest for you."

Saying this, Mrs. Guan took out a scroll of a painting.

"Having heard that I’m matchmaking for the Yuan Family’s nephew, my eager sister-in-law even sent over his portrait. Mingzhu, take a look and see if his looks suit your taste."

Ji Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh, "This isn’t a beauty contest."

Mrs. Guan tapped her on the forehead, "There you go again with your nonsense."

Ji Mingzhu blinked, "The way it’s going, it sure looks like a beauty contest. If you don’t believe me, ask Yun Ling."

Xie Yunling nodded heavily.

Saying, "They say ugly people make more trouble, Sister Mingzhu, you must find a handsome one, if your future husband angers you, at least you’ll be upset by a handsome man rather than by someone unattractive."

Ji Mingzhu was amused, "That’s true. You can’t deny, a handsome husband is pleasing to the eye and lifts the mood."

Mrs. Guan looked at them, "Look at you two, where’s the modesty of young ladies?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"We’re just speaking the truth."

"Stop with the cheeky remarks, hurry and see the portrait."

After having faced death, Ji Mingzhu no longer had high demands for appearance, but not wanting to spoil the atmosphere, she obediently walked over.

The person in the painting stood on the edge of a cliff, tall and elegant, dressed in flowing robes, his features merely outlined, but it was clear he was an outstanding young gentleman.

Compared to the meticulously groomed noble young men of the capital, he had an air of unrestrained elegance and romantic freedom.

Xie Yunling sighed, "Such a gentleman is truly worthy of my Sister Mingzhu."

Seeing that Ji Mingzhu was not resistant, Mrs. Guan smiled, "A talented man and a beautiful lady, they are truly well matched."

Ji Mingzhu felt embarrassed, "There’s nothing definite yet, and you’re already teasing me."

With that, someone cupped her cheeks.

Mrs. Guan scrutinized her carefully, "A graceful lady is worthy of pursuit by a gentleman, such a dazzling Mingzhu, anyone who doesn’t seize the chance to win her favor must be blind!"